Fri 15th Sept: Another day, another sharpei

The new sharpei boy on the block 

 What is it about the sharpei breed, and the huge number of sharpei-type dogs that end up abandoned? The gene is obviously a dominant one as so many Hong Kong mixes have at least some sharpei in them, as anyone who has done a DNA test for their local dogs will know. We took in another one from AFCD today to add to our collection, and I don't have a name yet, only a photo. This boy is only a year old but already has heartworm, so we will have to start the treatment for that.

 These aren't the super-wrinkly sharpeis, thankfully, but they all have the same build, and small ears that are unfortunately prone to infection if they're not cleaned regularly.   What I know about these dogs from my own experience is that they're very loyal and loving, with a strong constitution and usually long-lived. They make excellent family dogs as long as there's no allergies, as the sharpei coat is probably the worst for this kind of problem. 

These skin folds actually end up poisoning the dog

I asked the "sharpei angel", also a self-proclaimed sharpei anorak (know-it-all), adopter of many, including Sharlene who is doing very well after her big jaw surgery and can now chew biscuits and bark! She's putting on weight too, so everything is progressing as hoped for.  

As someone who knows the breed extremely well, this is how she described them: "Super-devoted with cat-like qualities, meaning they choose to approach you rather than the other way round.  They can appear aloof, and aren't soppy or cuddly like, for example, golden retrievers.  They have great dignity and are highly intelligent, and will reserve judgement of new people or dogs until they know you.  They can suffer from problems like entropian (eyelids turned inwards so the lashes rub on the eye), and the very wrinkly ones always have skin infections. The traditional sharpei doesn't have excess wrinkles and folds, this was a product of cross-breeding the traditional sharpei with the British bulldog, leading to disastrous results (see photo).  Despite any potential genetic problems, sharpeis are delightful companions, being super clean and always toilet trained.  They don't bark, instead making throaty "chuffing" noises.  They also have a great sense of humour and will play practical jokes.  Originally farms dogs used to kill rats, they will unfortunately do the same with small animals like cats if not raised with them.  "Shar pei" means sandy skin, and they do have a prickly coat rather than a soft one, which is what causes the allergic reaction.  The breed is not for novice dog owners, but once you've had one every other dog seems like a stuffed toy."  If you want to know anything about sharpeis, you know who to ask!

Meet sweet little Skye at KT 

We had a busy day at Kennedy Town, with potential adopters coming by to meet the many dogs that are waiting to be chosen, but it was an initial visit for most and they will be back over the weekend (I hope).